NEW YORK, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Cases of E. coli bacteria infection believed linked to Taco Bell restaurants have been found in South Carolina and Utah as well as the northeast.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that most of those who have fallen sick had eaten at Taco Bell recently, CNN said. Federal and state health officials are trying to track down the source of the contamination.
At least 84 cases have been reported in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said at least 35 people have been hospitalized with the same E. coli strain since the outbreak began, some in serious condition.
The CDC was testing several ingredients used by Taco Bell, which has ordered the removal of green onions from its 5,800 outlets nationwide after three samples tested positive.
One lawsuit has already been filed by the parents of an 11-year-old boy who became ill after eating in a Taco Bell in Riverhead, N.Y.
